Luse:And for some reason young men are increasingly shunning marriage.

It's a good thing young men don't engage in pre-marital sex that could result in the conception of a child. That whole 'no marriage' thing is a foolproof method of avoiding a situation like this man is in.

I'm pretty sure his 6 month jail sentence was a result of his contempt of court charge, related to not visiting his son as issued by court order at particular times. Whether he was not 'told' about any of this, as he claims is dubious. He's not going to admit he knew and simply did not comply. It's easier to say he was never told to begin with.

But he's on appeal, so even though the court system is claimed to have 'broken down', and the Daily Fail is obviously trying to work the 'miscarriage of justice' angle on this -- the court system is working as intended.

Of course walking out on a judge in her courtroom when issued a contempt of court charge isn't going to win him any favors.

But sure, let's go with the "he's brown in Texas, therefore the system is stacked against him" defense. When it's pretty obvious there's way more to the story than the article lets on.

TheEdibleSnuggie:Frankly, I'd walk out too if somebody told me I'd be forced to pay my ex's legal fees ON TOP of whatever I just recently doled out in child support payments.

He walked out because he was found in contempt of court. He was found in contempt for not following court ordered visitation times. He didn't follow court ordered visitation times because he "didn't know" about them.

Just playing devil's advocate here : I would assume that he was warned more than once by his wife, the child support office, and probably his wife's attorney BEFORE they went to the trouble of taking him to court. Had he paid up prior to being dragged in to court (even though the initial error was not his) there would be no reason for him to pay the attorney's fees. He waited until the court date was set, paid up, and then walked into the court thinking that he was free and clear. Surprise - the lawyers are still getting paid for having to show up.

Not to mention the fact that he walked out on a judge. I don't care who you are. A judge will fark your day up for disrespecting them in their court room. This is not really about a man getting gamed by the child support system. It is more about some dumbass who got dragged to court and then pissed in the judge's corn flakes.

thamike:TheEdibleSnuggie: Frankly, I'd walk out too if somebody told me I'd be forced to pay my ex's legal fees ON TOP of whatever I just recently doled out in child support payments.

He walked out because he was found in contempt of court. He was found in contempt for not following court ordered visitation times. He didn't follow court ordered visitation times because he "didn't know" about them.

And regardless of what you're charged with/convicted on/whatever, you never walk out on a judge in the middle of a hearing. That's not just a social faux pas, it's another count of contempt of court. You never piss off or disrespect the judge no matter how badly you get screwed. Appeals, new trials, etc. are all part of the system and are there to help people who were wrongly convicted, discriminated against, etc., but that's for later, when emotions are cool and your lawyer(s) can work out a strategy.

Walking out when you're pissed off at the Judge will not help you in any way, except grant you a temporary reprieve of being angry. But it'll simply make it harder for your lawyers to get the Judge to reconsider the ruling.

Weatherkiss:thamike: TheEdibleSnuggie: Frankly, I'd walk out too if somebody told me I'd be forced to pay my ex's legal fees ON TOP of whatever I just recently doled out in child support payments.

He walked out because he was found in contempt of court. He was found in contempt for not following court ordered visitation times. He didn't follow court ordered visitation times because he "didn't know" about them.

And regardless of what you're charged with/convicted on/whatever, you never walk out on a judge in the middle of a hearing. That's not just a social faux pas, it's another count of contempt of court. You never piss off or disrespect the judge no matter how badly you get screwed. Appeals, new trials, etc. are all part of the system and are there to help people who were wrongly convicted, discriminated against, etc., but that's for later, when emotions are cool and your lawyer(s) can work out a strategy.

Walking out when you're pissed off at the Judge will not help you in any way, except grant you a temporary reprieve of being angry. But it'll simply make it harder for your lawyers to get the Judge to reconsider the ruling.

Even the judge said that had he not walked out like that, she would have been able to give the case a closer look. Of course, the Daily Mail sliced that tidbit out of their almost verbatim reposting of a retarded MyFoxHouston blog piece.

Weatherkiss:I'm pretty sure his 6 month jail sentence was a result of his contempt of court charge, related to not visiting his son as issued by court order at particular times.

Generally speaking you can't be criminally punished for failing to meet visitation orders -- that's a civil decree. Typically the most extreme judgement possible would be a loss of custody or visitation.

Contempt of court can certainly get in thrown in jail, though it's not clear how 6 months of unemployment will improve this situation. I'm sure the guy with a dick to the judge, but exactly what benefit does his punishment provide society or his son?

thamike:Weatherkiss: thamike: TheEdibleSnuggie: Frankly, I'd walk out too if somebody told me I'd be forced to pay my ex's legal fees ON TOP of whatever I just recently doled out in child support payments.

He walked out because he was found in contempt of court. He was found in contempt for not following court ordered visitation times. He didn't follow court ordered visitation times because he "didn't know" about them.

And regardless of what you're charged with/convicted on/whatever, you never walk out on a judge in the middle of a hearing. That's not just a social faux pas, it's another count of contempt of court. You never piss off or disrespect the judge no matter how badly you get screwed. Appeals, new trials, etc. are all part of the system and are there to help people who were wrongly convicted, discriminated against, etc., but that's for later, when emotions are cool and your lawyer(s) can work out a strategy.

Walking out when you're pissed off at the Judge will not help you in any way, except grant you a temporary reprieve of being angry. But it'll simply make it harder for your lawyers to get the Judge to reconsider the ruling.

Even the judge said that had he not walked out like that, she would have been able to give the case a closer look. Of course, the Daily Mail sliced that tidbit out of their almost verbatim reposting of a retarded MyFoxHouston blog piece.

Well he's black and in Texas, it's the judge's fault for not taking his skin color into consideration when he blatantly disrespects her and her courtroom by walking out on her. You know how "those people" are when they get angry and emotional, so clearly he deserves a mulligan for being black and in Texas.

profplump:Weatherkiss: I'm pretty sure his 6 month jail sentence was a result of his contempt of court charge, related to not visiting his son as issued by court order at particular times.

Generally speaking you can't be criminally punished for failing to meet visitation orders -- that's a civil decree. Typically the most extreme judgement possible would be a loss of custody or visitation.

Contempt of court can certainly get in thrown in jail, though it's not clear how 6 months of unemployment will improve this situation. I'm sure the guy with a dick to the judge, but exactly what benefit does his punishment provide society or his son?

In theory, a foreseeable future of timely child support payments and fewer lapses in memory and judgment.

Married or not - this would have played out the same way. Not getting married will avoid you alimony; not child support. And child support is based on your ability to pay, not what a child needs - so it might as well be alimony.

profplump:Weatherkiss: I'm pretty sure his 6 month jail sentence was a result of his contempt of court charge, related to not visiting his son as issued by court order at particular times.

Generally speaking you can't be criminally punished for failing to meet visitation orders -- that's a civil decree. Typically the most extreme judgement possible would be a loss of custody or visitation.

Contempt of court can certainly get in thrown in jail, though it's not clear how 6 months of unemployment will improve this situation. I'm sure the guy with a dick to the judge, but exactly what benefit does his punishment provide society or his son?

You're right. Generally speaking this shouldn't have happened if the article presents it the way it is. But we don't know the whole story (by design, of course). I seriously doubt he was withheld important court documentation filled with information on what is expected of him in order to comply with a court order.

I also seriously doubt that he was never warned beforehand. I also seriously doubt he was not re-sent the same court orders on one or more occasions to ensure he was aware of what the mandate says.

But I don't know the whole story, however it's ridiculous for any legal system to waste people's time and money on an innocent man who 'fell through the cracks' of the legal system. It's possible a civil decree didn't work out between him and his ex, but if a court orders you to do something or not do something (even if it's a civil decree like child visitation), you do it or you stall for time using the appeals process. If you can't convince them and exhaust your appeals, you do whatever it is the judge states or you get faced with contempt of court.

I know Texas law is pretty draconian, but the article states the visitation was ordered by the court. Which tells me he was probably guilty of either being unwilling or unable to comply with a civil agreement between he and his ex -- possibly on multiple occasions. Which would make a court order the only real way to get him to comply.

I do agree with the sentiment that the man being sent to jail for six months does absolutely nothing beneficial for the child, and I think that sticking point should be used as the main part of his appeal process. Because regardless of his contempt of court charge, if the lawyers can convince the judge that her ruling will end up harming the child, it might be the only way for the conviction to be overturned and a reduced sentence imposed.

In particular, the CoC was apparently "for failure to pay child support", and, per the Snopes article:

"(Under Texas law, for an obligor to avoid contempt charges in a child support case, he must be current on all child support obligations at the time of the enforcement hearing, not just those originally pled in the motion to enforce.)"

profplump:Contempt of court can certainly get in thrown in jail, though it's not clear how 6 months of unemployment will improve this situation. I'm sure the guy with a dick to the judge, but exactly what benefit does his punishment provide society or his son?

Six months for simple contempt seems _way_ out of bounds. I'm expecting the appeals court will slap the judge down on this.